Mobile spraying equipment



July 27, 1954 INVENTOR.

Y EIIEKTJ LflTT/VEA E. J. LATTNER MOBILE SPRAYING EQUIPMENT a &

\D n Q \"Q/ N. e E} o 9/? 5 Sheets-Sheet l July 27, 1954 E. J. LATTNER MOBILE SPRAYING EQUIPMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Oct. 19, 1949 INVENTOR. 671E873! LHTT/Vi/P ATTORNEY July 27, 1954 E. J. LATTNER MOBILE SPRAYING EQUIPMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Oct. 19, 1949 LVVENTOR.

By 7567 J LHTIWB? %umwy y Arm/mix July 27, 1954 E. J. LATTNER 2,684,865

MOBILE SPRAYING EQUIPMENT Original Filed Oct. 19, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 y 1954 E. J. LATTNER 2,684,865

MOBILE SPRAYING EQUIPMENT Original Filed Oct. 19, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

Patented July 27, 1954 UNITED STATES TENT QFFICE Original application Oct 122,296. Divided and t ober 19, 1949, Serial No. his application February 8, 1951, Serial No. 215,061

3 Claims.

This invention relates to spraying equipment and has particular relation to mobile spraying equipment adapted to spray DDT, 24D or the like over wide strips, as for instance fields, roadsides and other areas. This application is a division of application Serial Number 122,296 filed October 19, 1949.

It is one of the mainobjects of my invention to provide an extremely mobile and facile spraying rig which may be either towed by tractor, Wagon, or mounted on a tractor or other vehicle by quick attachable mounts, or which may be self-propelled if desired.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of this character having booms which may be readily controlled by the operator to be raised or lowered and held in any extreme or intermediate position as desired. Furthermore, such booms must be capable of resiliently moving away from an obstacle such as a fence, tree, or the like if the operator should inadvertently cause them to strike such an object.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a single control means such that the operator, by moving only one handle, may cause the spray fluid to be delivered from either or both booms or from a center boom or delivery pipe or combination of right or left booms with the center boom or all booms or to a flush conduit or to a utility conduit or all closed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a support means such that the spraying equipment may be mounted on a truck for transport or for spray use or may be mounted on a tractor or on a tractor trailer or, in fact, any mobile support.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and following specifications, wherein is disclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the invention, with the understanding, however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of one form of the spraying outfit as it appears when ready for attaching to a tractor or the like. In this embodiment of the invention, the device is adapted to carry two tanks of spray fluid.

In Figure 2 is illustrated another embodiment of the invention in which the device is adapted to be mounted on a supporting framework such as the truck mounted framework shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 is therefore a view in perspective of the receiving framework on which the device shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be mounted, and this receiving framework is shown in position on a truck which is outlined in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a View in perspective of a mounting for the spraying device which may be mounted directly on the truck or tractor.

Figure 5 is a view in exploded relation of the valve and valve housing which controls the flow of spraying fluid to the three booms, the utility conduit, and the flush conduit.

Figure 6 is a view in section of the valve and housing shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a rear elevational vi w of the valve housing shown in Figures 5 and 6 with the various ports labeled. Since this view is of the rear of the housing shown in Figure 5, the position of the ports in the housing appear reversed from their positions as shown in Figure 5 and Figures 8 to 17.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the position of the valve plate when all ports are closed. The holes shown in full are holes through the movable valve plate. The dotted circles represent holes or ports in the housing leading to the left boom, the right boom, the center boom, and a utility connection. In this and the following Figures 8 to 17 inclusive, the plate is moved in ten successive steps in a clockwise direction to uncover the various ports singly and in various combinations.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the position of the valve plate when the port leading to the left boom is open.

Figure 10 illustrates the position of the plate when both left and center booms are being supplied with spraying liquid.

Figure 11 illustrates the position of the plate when all ports are open.

Figure 12 illustrates the position of the plate when the right and center ports are uncovered by holes in the plate.

Figures 13 to 16 inclusive illustrate successive positions of the plate as the right boom port, the center boom port, the utility port and fluid port are individually uncovered.

Figure 17 illustrates a position of the plate alternative to Figure 8 in which all ports are again closed, and

Figure 18 is a fragmentary view in enlarged relation illustrating the structure of the boom joint of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Referring, then, to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1 thereof; a device constructed according to one embodiment of my invention includes an arched frame It supported on trailer wheels ii and i2, and an approxi mately rectangular frame [3 for supporting one or more barrels or tanks, illustrated at is.

A pair of uprights it and ii are mounted at the rear of frame 53 and these members are joined at their upper ends by cross member 23 to form a mount for the valve assembly and boom support, illustrated generally at 28.

Opposed channel members 29 and 25 are slideably and adjustably engaged on the uprights it and ii for vertical movement and may be locked at any desired position by locking means such as illustrated at 2'5.

The channel members 28 and 25 carry arms [8 and i9 for supporting a center boom 2i, and these arms also act as means for supporting trough-like members such as illustrated at 22, which support the inner ends of the left boom 23 and right boom 2 The booms 23 and 2d consist of pipe sections closed at both their outer and inner ends as by caps 3 l with the booms or pipes adapted to receive spray nozzles, such as that illustrated at 32. The left boom has an inlet at 333, while the right boom has an inlet at 3d.

The center boom 25 is also closed by means of pipe caps, and it is provided with an inlet 36.

The inner ends of the booms are attached to the outer ends of coil springs 3'? and 38, and normally these springs rest in the trough-like members 22, thus tending to cause the booms 28 and 2d to normally be biased toward their outwardly extending positions, as shown in Figure 1, at right angles to the line of travel of the trailer. The booms are supported from their outer ends by ropes or cables ll and and in use, if the booms strike an obstacle such as a fence post or the like, the obstacle will cause the booms to swing rearwardly about the flexible coupling members at Bi and 3%, raising the outer ends of the coupling inemb rs S? and 33 out of the trough and distorting the spring couplers 3? and 38.

As soon as the obstacle has been passed, the combination of the force exerted by the distorted spring members 3"? and 38 and the troughs 22 will cause the booms to return to their normal outwardly extending position.

Also, if it is necessary to raise either or both of the booms, the operator may pull on the ropes ll or A2 or both to raise the booms. Since these ropes are trained backwardly through pulleys in the boom supports 28 and outwardly through supporting arms i and the springs 37 and 3-8 permit the booms to readily swing upwardly as desired, and the booms may be locked in any position of tilt by a mechanism hereinafter more particularly described.

In order that a sprayer constructed according to my invention may have the greatest utility and adaptabilit I have provided means whereby the rectangular framework supporting the structure may be mounted directly on a tractor or on the back of a truck or as a trailing vehicle.

It may be modified to carry one or two tanks, as desired. Many times it is desirable to transport the entire unit for demonstration purposes or the like on the back of a pick-up truck or such vehicle, and I have accordingly devised means for quick mounting and dismounting of the unit. The device shown in Figure 1 is, of course, self- 4 supported and is adapted to be drawn by means of the trailer iitch 53.

The device shown in Figure 2 is of essentially the same construction as that shown in Figure l, and utilizes a left boom iii, a center boom 82, and a right boom 63. These members are supported on arms Edand as which are in turn supported on slides '67: and E8. The uprights 65 and in support a cross member 69 which in turn supports the valve assembly El and the boom supporting means l2 and 73. The uprights 55 and "all are welded to the outer ends of arms l t and :6, and these arms I l and "it may be slid on over on the guides ll and iii of the pick-up truck, illustrated in Figure 3, or they may be slid on over the channels 8i and 82, which channels are adapted to be fastened by yoke members 83 and {iii to the rear axle of a tractor or the like, illustrated in Figure l.

The telescopic members illustrated generally at 35 and ill may be extended or retracted in such a manner that they may be engaged to the drawbar or other rearwardly extending portions of the tractor, so that three or four point mounting of the frame members 8! and 32 on the tractor may be effected.

The device shown in Figure 2 is adapted to carry one tank of spray liquid, and the uprights 6'! and t8 are braced by means of braces 38 and 85}, which are in turn fastened to the members is and it by means of the adjustable cross member 9i.

An important part of my invention is the multiple valve structure, the operating position of which is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and the structure and operation of which is illustrated in Figures 5 to 17 inclusive.

It is desirable that th spraying operations be so implemented that they may be carried out by one operator. The corn borer and grasshopper plagues have reached such proportions that it is not always practical for more than one man to do the spraying. At times all three booms may be used. At other times it is practical to use only one or two booms, perhaps the center or left booms, or the two outer booms, or the center and the right booms. Furthermore the spraying material may clog the pumps or other apparatus, the valves, or th line, and it will be necessary for the operator to clean out these lines with the least effort and loss of time.

Hitherto a plurality of valves have been used to control the flow of liquid, and it was necessary for the operator either to stop and get down from the tractor, or other towing vehicle and adjust the flow of spray fluid, or else have a second man to do this work. I have provided a si gle control means readily controlled from the tractor seat, whereby the operator can open and close ports at will, either singly or in any combination as desired, as well as flush out the line or furnish fluid to any utility line.

A preferred embodiment of the device appears in exploded relation in Figure 5, and in cross section in Figure 6. The rear of the valve is shown in Figure 'I, while Figures 8 to l? inclusive illustrate the various positions the valve may have in the housing. The preferred device includes a recessed front housing or plate, illustrated at having arrows or other indicia, at on the exposed face thereof to indicate the various operating positions of the plate. This member may be secured to the supporting members and ti l by four of the peripheral lugs se. The operating shaft l'l, which rotates the plate 98 through the agency of the coupling 99,

'passes through a suitable boss in the cover plate 9|.

Only the ports I99 for the right boom, the part III for the center boom, the port H2 for the utility connection, the port I34 for the pump and the port II 3 for the left boom pass entirely through the housing I9 I.

The coupling 99 is provided with three unequally spaced pins, two of which are illustrated at H5, and these three pins are received, when the valve is properly assembled, in the holes H6 in the disc-like valve plate 98, while the shaft 9! passes through the opening I II in the plate 98 and into the opening IIB of the rear housing IBI in which it is j ournalled for rotation. Movement of the operating handle I I9 produces rotation of the shaft 91, and thus the disc 98 is caused to rotate within the housings III and IIlI to uncover the various ports as it rotates.

The plate 99 is biased against the faces of the ports I99, III, H2 and H3 by means of the coil spring I2I. A portion of the rear face of the housing I9! is provided with a boss I22 so that a conduit I 23 may be provided, as illustrated at I23 in Figure 6, in order to limit the pressure and regulate the pressure of the fluid within the housing as desired. Fluid under excess pressure within the housing around plate 98 may escape through conduits I28 and I24, lift valve I29 and pass through the cylindrical guide I21 and out through the conduits I23 and I29 to escape through the bypass port I39.

The conduit I28 is closed by means of a check valve I29, pressure to which is supplied by means of spring I3I, and the pressure on the spring is adjusted by means of the screw I32 so that by adjusting screw I32, the pressure within the housing may be regulated as desired. The amount of pressure within the housing is indicated by means of the pressure gauge I 33.

A flexible conduit from the pump (not shown) leads into the housing through the port I34 in boss I94. Spray fluid from the pump fills the interior of the chamber through the port I 34. The fluid passes into the chamber I36 back of the plate 99 and through the various openings of the plate and around the plate into the front chamber I37. Since the ports I09, III, H2 and I I3 are covered by the plate, except when openings in the plate, hereinafter described, uncover the ports, the fluid in the chamber I 37 cannot pass into these ports until they are uncovered by the openings in the plate.

Observe, then, the openings I4I, I42, and I43 in Figure 8. In this position, all of the ports I09, III, IIZ, and H9 are covered by the plate, but as the plate is rotated in a clockwise direction to the position shown in Figure 9, the first of the openings MI is positioned over the port I I3, so that in the position of the plate shown in Figure 9, the spraying fluid may pass through the opening I4I into the left boom.

When the plate has been moved to a second 6 position, illustrated in Figure 10, thesecond opening I42 still permits fluid to pass into the left boom as before, but in this position the first of a series of opening I44, I46, I41 and I52 is over the port III leading to the center boom. Therefore with the valve plate in the position shown in Figure 10, fluid is being supplied both to the left and to the center boom, while in the position shown in Figure 9, fluid is being supplied only to the left boom.

In the position of the plate 98, illustrated in Figure 11, the third opening I43 is over the port I I3 leading to the left boom, the second opening I 46 leading to the center boom is over the port I I I and the first of a series of openings I48, I49 and I5! has uncovered the port I09 leading to the right boom. Therefore, in this position of the plate, fluid is being supplied through opening I43 to the left boom, I46 to the center boom, and I48 to the right boom.

In the position of the plate illustrated in Figure 12, the left boom openings I4I, I42 and I43 are out of register with the port H3 and consequently fluid camiot flow to the left boom. The third opening of the series I44, I46, I41 and I52 is in register with the port III of the center boom, and therefore fluid is flowing to the center boom. The second opening I49 of the series I 43, I49 and I5I is in register with the port I99 of the right boom, and therefore fluid is flowing to both the right and center booms.

In Figure 13 the last of the three openings I48,

I49 and [III is in register with the port I99 of the right boom, while all the other ports are closed, so that fluid is flowing now only to the right boom.

In Figure 14 the plate 98 has advanced to a position where the fourth opening I52 of the series I44, I49, I41 and I52 is in register with the port III of the center boom. This port I52 permits fluid to flow to the center boom while all other ports are closed.

In Figure 15 the plate 98 has been moved to a still further position in which the flrst of a series of two openings I53-I54 uncovers the utility port H2 so that fluid flows to the utility line, which may be used to spray individual plants or areas as desired.

It is desirable, in one position of plate 98, that all of the ports be uncovered at one time so that the entire valve and all of the lines may be flushed out, and this condition is secured by rotating the plate to a position shown in Figure 16, at which position the utility port is uncovered by flush opening I54. The center port I I I is uncovered by the flush port I56. The right boom port I09 is uncovered by the flush opening I51 and the left boom port II3 is uncovered by flush opening I 58.

Upon still further rotation of the disc 98 to the position shown in Figure 17, all ports are again closed.

It is apparent that by means of the system just described, the operator has complete control of the spraying operation from the seat of the vehicle on which the apparatus is mounted and can direct the spray fluid to any or all of the booms as desired, or to the utility outlet, or may flush all the ports. He may regulate the spray fluid pressure as desired.

The apparatus has extreme mobility and flexibility and may be mounted on truck, or tractor, or towed vehicle such as a trailer.

Although I have described several embodiments of my invention, it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a supporting framework, a boom, supporting means extending outwardly from the supporting framework, said means including a coil spring engaging concentrically over the inner end of the boom, and a trough below and engaging the underside of the coil spring for normally supporting the boom in aligned position of the spring in the trough but permitting substantially unlimited swinging movement upwardly and sidewise if the boom is pushed from its normal position as for instance in the boom striking an obstacle as it is moved through a field.

2. In a spraying device of the character described, a supporting framework, an elongated spraying boom extending outwardly therefrom, and means for flexibly attaching the boom to the supporting framework, said means comprising a trough-like member attached to the framework,

and a coil spring normally resting in the trough- I like member, the inner end of the spring being affixed adjacent the inner end of the trough, and the inner end of the boom being afiixed to the outer end of the spring.

3. In a spraying device of the character described, a supporting framework, an elongated spraying boom, means for flexibly attaching the boom to the framework comprising a coil spring having the inner end thereof secured to the supporting framework and the outer end thereof engaging the inner end of the boom, and a trough-like member extending outwardly from the framework in alignment with the normal working position of the boom, the said troughlike member engaging the underside of the spring and the inner end of the boom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 902,635 Wowra Nov. 3, 1908 2,210,346 Stayton Aug. 6, 1940 2,226,136 Parker Dec. 24, 1940 2,564,041 Vogel, Jr. Aug. 14, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Century Sprayer advertisement, Farm Implement News, November 18, 1948, pages 16 and 17; published by Farm Implement News Company, Chicago, Illinois. 

